Method of treating plisse crepe



.July 14;," 1942. F. c. HEWITT 2,290,046

I .METHOD OF TREATING PLISSE-CBEPE Filed m 29, 1940 INVENTOR ATTO EYSPatented July 14, 1942 METHOD OF TREATING PLIs-si': CREPE Frank C.Hewitt, Northampton, Mass, Hampton Company, Easthampton,

assignor to Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 29,1940, Serial No. 316,143

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a method of processing pliss crepe fabrics andhas particular reference to a treatment of its unshrunk selvages as thecrepe passes from the tenter frame in order to cause the material to lieflat.

In the making of pliss crepe the fabric is subjected to a shrinkingprocess, and. is then dried out and stretched on a tenter frame. Duringthis process the selvages of the fabric are not shrunk to the samedegree as the body of the web, and after the fabric is stretched on thetenter frame the selva'ges of the crepe are materially longer than thebody of the fabric itself. This causes the crepe to be uneven.Measurement of the cloth along the selvage does not truly reflect thecorrect measure, of length. Difliculty is also encountered when thecrepe is rolled, the longer selvages making the rolling awkward and. theroll itself uneven, tending to increase in diameter at its ends.

An object of this invention is to correct the undesirable features of alonger selvage. The manner in which this problem has been met may bestbe understood in connection with the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is aperspective view of a roll of crepe, the ends of the roll being humpedbecause of the longer selvages;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of the roller mechanism designed totreat the selvages of pliss crepe;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation on a larger scale of one end of therollers with a piece of crepe therebetween;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the rollers showing the action of the rollerson the selvage; and

Fig. 5 is a fragment of pliss crepe showing a processed selvage.

The crepe l as it comes from a tenter frame (not shown) entersthe bightof rollers 2 and 3 mounted in supports 4. The rollers are driven atuniform surface speeds by any gearing mechanism (not shown) suitable forthat purpose. Top roller 2, preferably smaller than roller 3, iscovered, for a purpose to be later described, with a matted or fibrousmaterial such as felt covering 5, seen in Fig. 4. Roller 3 is of metalsuch as chilled iron, with a slightly concave surface, as

seen by lines 6. The concavity has been greatly exaggerated for clarity,in the actual structure being scarcely perceptible to the eye.

As the crepe enters the bight of the rollers 2 and 3 no pressing orflattening action on the body of the fabric results because of theconcave surface of roller 3 and the slight separation of the rolls.Roller 2, because of frictional engagement with the crepe, causes thecrepe to be fed at a uniform rate, related to and governed by the lengthof the fabric itself and not by the longer selvages. The body of thefabric then will tend to force the selvages to accumulate or pile upbefore entering the bight of the rollers and then to fold over andcrease as they are carried through. This folding is completed, and thepleats are ironed down, when the salvage passes between the rollers. Asseen in the exaggerated view of Fig. 3, the edges of the rollers are inclose proximity to each other and a pressing and ironing action takesplace, on the selvage, being more pronounced because of the increasedthickness of the bunched and folded over portions. As seen in Fig. 4(also exaggerated), the folds have been ironed down and the selvage ispleated irregularly as in Fig. 5. These irregular pleats 1 haveshortened the selvage to a length equal to the body of the fabricitself, since the pleats are formed with relation to the length offabric passing between rollers 2 and 3.

The pliss crepe with pleated edges can then be measured and rolledevenly and with accuracy. The humps on the ends of the roll of Fig. 1will disappear and a uniform length is obtained.

I claim:

An apparatus for reducing the length of the selvages of pliss crepe tocorrespond with the length of the body of the fabric, comprising ahard-surfaced roll concave in its central portion, and a felt-coveredroll in pressing and feeding contact therewith, the rolls beingseparated sufficiently one from another to cause them to draw the crepedbody of the fabric by frictional contact and without substantialpressure, and sufficiently close to iron down the pleats formed by theunshrunk selvages as they pass between the rolls.

FRANK C. HEWITT.

